Storage battery.



N0. 703,490. Patnted-luly I, |902.

M. 0. SMITH.

STORAGE BATTERY.

(Application med my 18,1901.)

(No Model.)

UNITED STATESr PATENT OFFICE.

MALCON O. SMITH, OF DEPEW, NEW YORK, ASSIGNOR OF ONE-HALF TO THOMAS J. OOSTER, DEPEW, NEW YORK.

sT-oRAo E BAT-T Ey RY.

SPECIFICATION renting-parar Letters rar-.ent No. 703,490, da'aaulyy 1, 1,902. applicati@v treatiny 13,'` 1to1."A serial No. 68,145'. (No mtas.)

at Depew, in the county of Erie and State of New York, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Storage Batteries, of which the following is a specification, reference being had therein to the accompanying drawings.

My invention relates to secondary or stor-v i age batteries; and it consists, essentially,-in` the peculiar and novel construction, arrange-l ment, and combination into a storage'batteryj of tray-like elements having electrodesformed on opposite sides in integral conductive connection with' the plates, all as more'fullyl'- described hereinafter and shown in the accompanying drawings, in which-- Figure l is a longitudinal section of my improved battery. Fig. 2 is a transversesection thereof.

one of the intermediateplates.- A A A2 A3 representa series of superposed metallic plates made in the'form of trays withv outwardly-sloping sidesa'nd ends,` making the bottom of the trays along a central longitudinal line. lyte and divide the battery into a series of cells, each cell containing apositive and a negative electrode, the positive electrode being formed on one sideofvtheplates and the negative one on the other'is'ide thereof, the end plates, which have but one electrode, forming the poles of the battery, while the intermediate plates, which have electrodes on both sides, electrically connect the cells. To this end the trays are made of lead or its equivalent and have a supporting-grid for. the active material formed thereon integrally with the body of the tray and adapted to hold the electrode'in conductive connection therewith. This gridl Ijp'ireferably form by plowing the-faces of the platewithin the outer marginal portion with a-suitable cutting-tool, thereby transformingi-t .into Vthin laminae a, which are vertically disposed, their inner ends remainingA unitedto a core in the center of the plate. The intermediate trays are formed with grids of this character upon both the Fig. 3 is a plan view of battery. f Fig. 4 is an enlarged section'of vFa `portion off These trays contain the electro-f.

f upper and ,lower sides,lwhi1e the end trays kare'formed with the grid onone side only. y

' The trays are supported on a non-conducting rack B, into which the bottom tray ts and in which it is secured by means of a guttered liange C, formed on the edge of the tray and adapted vto catch all drippings from Athe trays andj conduct them into a trough D,

concealed in the supporting-rack.

. The top tray A3 is made into a 'follower or `cover=by. reinforcing it with a frame E, of wood orjother suitable material, fitted into the tray,`and the edges are extended over said iframe to form a metallic contact on top of the cover.

' Thetrays are acid-tight and are supported one upon the other by non-conducting porous separator-plates F, interposed between the trays. These separators -hold the trays out of all metallic contact with each other, butprovide electric connection between the Kplates-by means of aisuitable 'electrolyte G,

l.supplied intothe trays to a depth necessary to submerge the active surfaces thereof, each tray containing the electrolyte being formed with an uptu'rned edge H along its outer edges.

. The electrodesof the trays may be formed by any of the known processes alike in all the trays, so that if the. battery is charged each'intermediate tray hasthe positive electrode on theorie side and the negative electrode on the Vother side, lthe bottom and top plates,respectively,formin g the opposite poles of the battery,to which the binding-posts are secured to receive the terminals of the cir- -cuit of the battery.

l The separators may be made of any suit- 'able -acid proof non f conducting material 'fashioned'onthe same shape as the metallic trays, and the material may be either of a porous or absorbing nature or be suitably perforated to permit the passage of the electrolyte.

Having now fully described my construcpositive and negative elements, and there is no trouble from imperfect, burned-out, or worn-out connections, the battery-wires being also directly secured to the end plates by binding-posts M and N, one on the cover and the other on the flange C ot the lower tray.

Second. The voltage ot' the battery and correspondinglyits ampere capacity can be increased in the most simple manner by simply lifting o the cover, adding a new tray or trays with the necessary separators,and again replacing the cover.

Third. Each tray is acid-tight, and as all the parts in contact with the electrolyte are sloping outwardly in an upward direction the gas will iind ready escape.

Fourth. The buckling or warping of the plates, which in my experience results from imperfect connections which hamper and resist the passage of the current, is prevented by my construction, in which the fullsurface of the submerged cells forms the conductor. Consequently there is no internal electromotive force to aiect the plates. Y

Fifth. It a tray should become leaky, it can be easily detected, and it is a very simple operation to take it out and put a new one in its place.

Sixth. The construction of the trays provides for large active surfaces in proportion to the weight and all in a very compact form, occupying but little space and making the battery therefor of especial value forautomobile and like use. i

lVhat I claim as my invention isl. An element for storage battery, composed ot' a metallic plate forming a tray with outwardly-sloping sides and ends, deepest in the center along a central longitudinal line, said plate provided upon its upper and lower sides with electrodes of opposing polarity, in conductive connection with the plate by means of a retaining-grid of vertically-disposed thin laminas, formed from the body of the plate on opposite sides of its central core to which said laminte remain united, the outer or marginal portion of the tray being formed by intact portions of the plate and bent upwardly to form a standing rim around the edge of the tray.

2. A storage battery, composed of an alternating series of conducting and non-conducting tray-shaped plates, nested together in a vertical pile, the conducting-plates adapted to contain an electrolyte and provided with electrodes in conductive connection with the plates, and the non-conducting plates of porous material retaining the electrodes out of contact with each other, and an electrolyte in which the non-conducting plates are immersed for electrically connecting the electrodes, a supporting-rack of non-conducting material having a tray-shaped depression in which the bottom tray fits and upon which the pile is supported, and a follower formed of the top tray bymeans of a stii'fening-frame,

said top tray formed upon its under side only with an electrode and constituting one pole of the battery, and the bottom -tray formed upon its upper side only with an electrode constituting the other pole of the battery.

A storage battery, composed of an alternating series of conducting and non-conducting tray-shaped plates nested together in a vertical pile,the conducting-plates being acidtight and provided with electrodes formed in conductive connection with the plates, and the non-conducting plates of porous material, interposed between the electrodes of the conducting-plates, and an electrolyte in which the non-conducting plates are immersed for electrically connecting the electrodes, a supporting rack of non conducting material formed with a tray-shaped depression in which the bottom tray is supported, a guttered flange around said bottom tray and supported upon the walls of the supporting-rack, an overflow vessel contained within the supporting-rack and communicating with the gutter, and a follower or cover formed of the top tray by means of a stiffening-frame within the tray, the edges of said top tray extending over the top of said frame and forming one terminal of the battery, and the guttered ange of the bottom tray forming the other terminal.

4. A storage battery, composed of conducting and non-conducting tray-shaped plates nested in the form of a vertical pile, and a supporting-base formed with a tray-shaped depression in which the pile is supported, the non-conclu ctin g plates of porous material interposed between the conducting-plates, and the conducting-plates adapted to contain an electrolyte and provided with electrodes in conductive connection therewith, the intermediate plates having electrodcs upon both their upper and lower sides, and the top and bottom plates upon their lower and upper sides only, and forming the terminals of the battery.

5. A storage battery, composed of conducting and non-conducting tray-shaped plates nested in the form of a vertical pile, a supporting-rack having a like tray-shaped depression upon which the pile is supported as a base, and a cover on top of the pile, the non-conducting plates of porous material interposed between the conducting-plates and containing the electrolyte, and the conducting-plates provided with electrodes in conductive connection with the plates, the intermediate plates provided with electrodes upon their upper and lower sides, and the bottom and top plates upon one side only and constituting the terminals of the battery,said top plate formed into a rigid follower or cover by means of astiiening-frameinclosed Witl1 in the plate.

6. A storage battery, constructed in the form of a pile and composed of nested trayshaped conducting-plates adapted to contain the electrolyte and provided with electrodes in direct conductive connection therewith,

IOO

IIO

non-conducting tiay-shapedporous plates in-i terposed between the conducting-plates immersed in the electrolyte therein, an insuletting-base supporting the pile and having a tray-shaped depression to receive the bottom tray of the pi1e,aguttered flange on said bottom tray extending around the top of the base in position to receive the overflow fromf thetrays, an overow vessel contained Within 1o the base and communicating with said gutter,l anoteJ followei` or cover composed ofthe conductingplate or trayl on topof the pilev and a. stiffening-frame inside said tray.

In testimony whereof I aiiix my signaturev y in presence ot' two witnesses.

MALOON O. SMITH.

Witnesses:

THos.. J. CosTER, JOHN LEININGER. 

